The Guardian: part one
by evilRevan
Summary: Long ago stories told of four guardians, dutifully guarding their domains as they slept forever. A golden sarcophagus, a worn out doll with a haunted smile, a creepy human like butterfly with the power over plants, and a four legged beast with an affinity for water. These are the preservers of life. The guardians of legends and the guardians of death. [Part one of four stories]


_Long ago stories told of four guardians, dutifully guarding their domains as they slept forever. That is… until humans or other magical creatures disturb their slumber. A golden sarcophagus, a worn out doll with a haunted smile, a creepy human like butterfly with the power over plants, and a four legged beast with an affinity for water. These strange creatures were chosen to become the guardians, the preservers of life. But should anyone be foolish enough to step into their domains; to challenge them and gain their spoils, the preservers of life will turn into the bringers of death. If you challenge the golden sarcophagus you will forever be entombed inside that which you coveted. Challenge the doll… and you shall become one just like it… with strings attached to your body from which it can control every action you make. Challenge the watery beast and you shall find yourself stuck to its skin, unable to free yourself as it dives into the water to drown you in the waters surrounding the ruins. And once you are dead, bloated and full of water… it will eat two of your organs as punishment for your greed. And lastly, challenge the butterfly and you shall watch as you slowly lose consciousness, your blood pouring out of your eyes as spores released from her rupture your organs from the inside out. And when you lay there on the ground, half alive... you will be become a feast for the butterflies that live in the forest while the rest of you decomposes and becomes apart of the very same forest you died to pilfer from._

_These are the preservers of life. The guardians of legends and the guardians of __**death**__._

_Should you enter their domains remember this: cast aside greed or else you will seal your fate and become one with the temple, the manor, the forest, or the ruins. And you shall sleep forever just like them…_

* * *

A stone archway made of solid rock and carved with various symbols and patterns lost to time greeted travelers and potential thieves graciously as they walked across a moss covered stone bridge, blue waters sloshing noisily underneath as the fish flew into the air – and dived back into the dark blue waters without a care in the world. Two sets of eyes looked around silently, heavy iron boots echoing in the silence as two humans walked into the first room of the Water Ruins, their fates forever sealed as they walked past a stone tablet in the center of the room. A silent warning carved onto it as well as a sincere thank you shortly after

But greed drove the thieves, their minds ignoring the signs that nothing was as it seems. All the rooms and hallways were empty, devoid of monsters as well as fish as they ventured deeper and deeper into the Ruins. Tiny greedy hands grabbed a few forgotten relics, eyes shining at the prospect of more valuables hidden away further in.

It was when they laughed and shouted; strutting around as they walked across the stone floor two golden eyes glowed from under the water, roused from the sounds of activity. The monsters were wise. They knew as soon as the humans came something would rise from the depths of the waters… and wreak havoc.

And they were **right**.

Silently the water rippled as something moved, the fish now fleeing in fear as the humans remained oblivious to the signs. Greed had driven its claws into them. They were **damned**.

The two humans continued to laugh and run around the deserted ruins, grabbing whatever they could and stuffing it into their leather backpacks on their backs. And once they finished clearing out the inside, they ran back to the main room, where the tablet lay. And once again… they ignored it and its potential warning. Just like how they ignored the elders' repeating the age old story of a beast lingering beneath the waters, ready and willing to drag them to a watery grave. As they stepped out into the sunlight, a bridge with two other pathways towards the east and west as well as to the north, they ventured ahead, figuring it would lead them to more treasure.

All they would receive is death as they saw a strange monster curled up in the middle of the next room, a roof hanging above their heads, sculptures of a horses attached to the walls as well as at the entrance. The beast which did resemble a horse, remained motionless, it's long purple mane dripping with water as if it had just taken a swim. The men ignored such an obvious sign and ventured closer, figuring the beast to be a docile one. They took one step, then two, and then many more as the beast continued to remain obvious to them. Black nostrils flared, scenting the humans that ventured into its domain, slowly wandering closer and close to it.

And like so many times before… one touched the beast's side. The man laughed and shouted at his companion, assuring him the monster wouldn't awaken... or attack. He was wrong as his tried to pull away only to find his hands glued to the monster's black skin like it were glue. Fear and panic rose within the man as the monster's eyelids snapped open, hungry golden eyes staring back at him as if he were food. There was a muffled scream as the monster stood up, the human still clinging to its side as the horse like monster broke into a run towards the water. The man let out one last scream before water entered his lungs and then…. Everything faded to black.

In the distance the man's companion watched on, shocked and rooted to place in fear. From afar the unnamed thief saw bubbles rise from where the beast dove in with his friend still stuck to its side. Very slowly the bubbles died… only for a sudden splash of red to appear at the surface. Blood.

That was it. The thief turned around and tried to run, tipping and falling in his own panic induced state. Grimy hands pushed against the mossy stone, heaving a heavy body upwards as the thief tried to flee once again… only to find he couldn't. Every muscle in his body went stiff as a board. He couldn't move. In the background a loud blood curdling scream filled the man's ears just as he felt something slam down on his back, killing him instantly as a pair of wet hooves snapped his spine in half. But before the thief succumbed to the darkness he remembered one thing the elders had told him and his friend and it was:

_Should you enter their domains remember this: cast aside greed or else you will seal your fate and become one with the temple, the manor, or the ruins. And you shall sleep forever just like them….._


End file.
